Archive for September, 2012

“Engage Newport” Getting our city to openly assess and discuss its performance when searching for missing persons or reacting to a natural disaster remains a perplexing challenge. Hopefully the city’s “Engage Newport” outreach effort will yield a more transparent and collaborative environment between the city’s police and fire departments and the served citizens. Citizens continue to have unanswered questions concerning 2011’s Tropical Storm Irene and 2012’s search for resident Brenda Batts which now stands in sharp contrast to the many local, state, and federal agencies that searched over 600 square mile search for resident Teddy Oliviera. ALN advisor Mike Cullen, also moderator of KnowingNewport and one of the founders of NewportReady, delivered the following comments to the Newport City Council at the start of their July 24th meeting. “It’s been six months since the death of Newport resident Brenda Batts by hypothermia and drowning. I am following up on a city official’s February promise to the Newport Daily News that his department would review the matter and seek areas of improvement so we can boost the odds of finding the next wandering and missing Newporter or visitor alive, not dead. The public was disturbed by the outcome. I’m not here […]

According to the Discover Newport website, http://www.gonewport.com/green-newport “Green Newport is not just historic and cultural treasures …we strive to preserve, its natural treasures as well. Surrounded by and dependent on its natural resources, ‘going green’ and reducing our environmental impact only makes sense, so we applaud area hotels, inns, bed and breakfasts, businesses, boutiques attractions, restaurants, transportation modes and visitors who join our commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle. Taking a green approach is an easy and essential way to protect the places you love to visit, not just for yourself but for the travelers who come after you and for the people who will continue to live there long after you’ve gone home.” The Newport Energy and Environment Commission (NEEC) agrees. That is why the NEEC has launched a campaign in 2012 to make Newport events sustainable. The campaign goals are embodied in their campaign mission’s statement. “To work as a community to implement sustainable practices during major events held in Newport to reduce the impact of huge numbers of visitors on our sensitive coastal community and model methods of behavior that will protect our island for decades to come. Define specifically a five year goal to require sustainable […]

City of Newport Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Review This past June the Newport City Council approved a budget and tax rates for the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2012. It almost was a non-event. There was little controversy, the workshops and open hearings leading up to the final approval were sparsely attended and there was little public discussion by the Council members. The only matter that received any serious attention was the School Department’s attempt to get the Council to agree to increased support, instead of the what has become traditional level funding over the past several years. In what has become a regular annual event, the School Superintendent and members of the School Committee pleaded for increased funding to make up for reduced federal and state support. The Council listened politely and silently and then voted for level funding. The only speaker in opposition to the School’s request was me, pointing out that each year for the past several years the School Committee requested increased funding, each year their request was denied and each year they closed out their budget with a surplus in excess of the increase that they had requested. In most other matters the […]

Alliance for a Livable Newport can now be found at http://newportalliance.org! The reasons for this change and many benefits of this new website can be summarized by our organizations desire and need to be connected to the various social media sites such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Linkedin. The new NewportAlliance.org website is built on the WordPress platform…used by many leading organizations such as CNN and The Wall Street Journal. The new website features you will notice include: Site level “search” using “keywords” or “keyword phrases” to locate information and important updates about events, people, or our key focus areas Connectors to Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Google+ allow anyone to easily share, comment or like any page or post. Moderated Blog comments are open to all. Anyone can post their comments on important issues. We need feedback from our neighbors and the community to let us know what is important to you! Watch a recorded video of current and past forums automatically on our webpage Fast and easy ways to join, volunteer, or donate to ALN. Neighborhood maps to show street boundaries of all Neighborhood Associations A Calendar of Events anyone can easily share including maps. Please visit the new […]

Letter to the Editor for Isabel Griffith, President of the Alliance for a Livable Newport. To the Editor, On September 13, Alliance For A Livable Newport, in keeping with its mission of providing unbiased information on issues of importance to Newport residents, property owners and businesses, sponsored a forum on the Casino Table Games question that will appear on the November election ballot. Our intent was to present a level playing field of information with a speaker in favor of allowing Newport Grand to add table gambling games to their present slot machine gambling, a speaker against the proposal and a third speaker to present an unbiased review of the economic issues. Two of our three goals were met with Diane Hurley ably presenting the case in favor of expanded gambling and Father Eugene McKenna ably presenting arguments against the expansion. Unfortunately, the third speaker, URI Professor Edward Mazze, presented only the pro-gambling side of the economic picture. That was not our intent and we apologize to our audience, those in the CCRI auditorium and those viewing subsequently on Public Access TV and on ALN’s website, and especially to Father McKenna for putting him at a disadvantage on the forum […]

http://www.thenewportrecord.com/SpecialFeatures/ALN.Casino.9.13.12.htm Alliance for a Livable Newport (RISC) Forum on Table Games at Newport Grand 8/13/12 Forum Introduction Alliance for a Livable Newport: Pros and Cons of a Proposed Casino Gaming at Newport Grand Mr. Michael P. Kehew conducts the forum Panel introduced: Dr. Edward Mazze – Economic Impact Ms. Diane Hurley – CEO Newport Grand Fr. Eugene McKenna – ALN Dr. Mazze addresses the audience regarding the economic impact of gambling in and around Rhode Island. Ms. Diane Hurley presents the history of the Newport Grand and the case for adding table gaming equipment. Father Eugene McKenna presents the history of the Alliance for a Livable Newport and the case against allowing a dedicated gambling facility in Newport. Ms. Hurley responds to several of Fr. McKenna’s points pointing out the Self Exclusion Program in place for the benefit of addicted gamblers.Dr. Mazze responds regarding the poor state of employment in RI. Q&A session with the public Question regarding the future vision of the Casino prompted responses from all three members of the panel Session wrap up ————————– Play All

http://news.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/2012/09/newport-forum-a.html September 13, 2012 10:55 pm By News staff NEWPORT — Both sides of the gambling debate aired their views Thursday night at a forum at the Community College of Rhode Island campus featuring the CEO of the Newport Grand slot parlor, a priest opposed to gambling, and a business professor. The forum, sponsored by the Alliance for a Livable Newport, a local civic group, comes as voters will decide in November whether to allow Rhode Island’s two slot parlors — Newport Grand and Twin River — to become full-scale casinos. The event brought out some 60 people, a number of whom were residents opposed to expanding gambling at Newport Grand. Liz Mathinos was among those residents who said Newport should focus on the things that make it unique — namely, its historical heritage. She likened the casino question to the risky financial decisions that ultimately drove the nation’s most recent economic collapse. “What is wrong with us? We gambled this country into a depression,” Mathinos said. “We should have learned a lesson from the past five years…. To rely on gambling is stupid.” Others said full-scale gambling would bring new jobs to the state.

Newport Open Space Partnership
The Newport Open Space Partnership is embarking on a comprehensive open space planning process to create a vision for the long-term sustainability and stewardship of the parks, public open spaces, and trees in Newport.
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Important Local Websites

Bellevue-Ochre Point Neighborhood Association
And welcome to the Bellevue Ochre Point Neighborhood Association (BOPNA)’s site. This neighborhood association is one of many in Newport that, together and individually, provide valuable input to the City and its boards on various citizen concerns.
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Newport Open Space Partnership
The Newport Open Space Partnership is embarking on a comprehensive open space planning process to create a vision for the long-term sustainability and stewardship of the parks, public open spaces, and trees in Newport.
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Off Broadway Neighborhood Association
The Off Broadway Neighborhood Association was developed in 2003 to improve the quality of life for residents in the Newport, RI neighborhood bound by Broadway/Van Zandt Ave/Gould St/Hall/Warner/ Congdon/Tilley Ave/Malbone Rd.
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The Newport Health Equity Zone
The Newport Health Equity Zone is a city-wide coalition mobilizing residents and resources of the Broadway and North End neighborhoods to make Newport a place where everyone can thrive.
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The Point Association
The Point Association is a group of neighbors working together to improve the quality of life in our neighborhood by getting to know each other;preserving our historic heritage;maintaining the Point’s residential character;beautifying our parks, streets a
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Top of the Hill Association
Top of the Hill Association is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote social and cultural interaction among its neighborhood members, to maintain and enhance the character and integrity of the neighborhood, and to enhance the quality of lif
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